The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for the production of a multicomponent yarn.
In the production of multicomponent yarns, particularly multicolored multicomponent yarns which are produced by the mixing of several individual strands of different colors, the individual strands are mixed in a texturing jet. In such case, the individual strands are crimped in a compression chamber by means of air jets which impinge upon the strands at an angle as they pass through. The problem in this case is that of achieving a mixing of the individual strands which does not result in either a predominance of an individual strand or an incomplete mixing of the individual strands in the resulting multicomponent yarn. The objective of the compression crimping is to achieve a good crimping with a uniform and reproducible color pattern of the multicomponent yarn.
To solve the problem, it has been proposed, in DE 42 02 896, to subject the individual strands to a false twist before they are fed into the texturing jet. There is, however, a risk in this case of the individual strands being too evident in the multicomponent yarn and, furthermore, of the crimping effect being reduced.
EP 0 133 198 discloses a method in which, prior to their entry into the texturing jet, the individual strands are routed back and forth in order to change their positions relative to each other. In this case, the filaments of the individual strands undergo a high degree of intermixing. Consequently, the multicomponent yarn is frequently of a mixed color rather than being truly multicolored.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to improve the method of the type initially referred to in such a way that the multicomponent yarn has a uniform and reproducible color pattern without reduction of the quality of the crimping.